Improvement in lightning-rods



Fig, 1,

I A I wgfikw ATTORNEYS N,FETERS, PHOTO-LITHOGRAPHER WASHINGTON, D C.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES H. SMITH, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

IMPROVEMENT IN LIGHTNING-RODS.

Specification forming part'of Letters Patent No. 171,744, dated January4, 1876; application filed December 8, 1875.

' of a plan view of my lightning-rod, and Figs.

2 and 3 aretransverse sectional views thereof.

This invention has relation to lightningrods and it consists in thenovel construction of the body of the rod by twisting together a centralflattened bar or ribbon of iron or zinc, and lateral wires, betweenwhich said strip is arranged, the whole being covered with a sheathingof copper, following in contact the surface of the edges of said bar orstrip to form two of the ribs of the rod, and the outer surfaces of thewires to form the other two, as hereinafter shown and described.

-In the accompanying drawings, the letter adesignates the central stripor bar of iron, zinc,

or other suitable metal. 1) represents the lateral wires, which arelocated on each side of the central strip. 0 is the copper sheathing.

The several partsare put together with the flattened strip or bar abetween the wires b, and the copper sheathing surrounding both, and theyare then drawn through a suitable die, and form a lightning-rod.

The central strip gives great strength to the rod. The center is solid,and the relation of of the wires to the strip and to each other isrigidly preserved. When twisted the helical form is permanentlyimpressed in the fiber of the central strip, and the latter preservesthe spiral position of the lateral wires, so that opening of the wiresis not liable to occur. Any lateral strain against such a rod willalways be against the edges of the strip when twisted, and when madestraight, either against the edges or flat side of the strip. .In thelatter case, the center of the rod being solid, the wires cannotapproximate each other, and the rod will preserve its rigidity. Inupright rods it is designed to employ a bar or strip of some thickness,while in rods designed to be bent about angles and cornioes a flat bandor ribbon is found to answer an excellent purpose.

The four ribs of the rod will consist two of the solid edges of the baror strip, and two of the wires on each side thereof, covered by theclosely-following surface-sheathing, binding the lateral ribs firmly t0the central corebar, which forms by its edges the ribs at right anglesto said lateral ribs.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

A lightning-rod, consisting of two lateral wires, and a centralflattened bar or strip arranged between said wires, and a coppersheathing closely following in contact the surface of the edges of saidbar or strip, to form two of the ribs of the rod, and the outer surfacesof the wires to form the other two, thus enveloping the whole,substantially as specified.

In testimony that I claim the above I have hereunto subscribed my namein the presence of two witnesses.

. CHARLES E. SMITH. Witnesses:

WALTER O. MASI, GEO. LARNER.

